This Girl
by SiobanChan
Summary: Quote: Ryoma, have I ever told you how attractive you look when you're sweating in the courts?--AnnxKamio [Revised]
1. This Girl

**This Girl**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Prince of Tennis.

**Author's Note: **This is my first story that I actually finished. Anyways, I realized that there are very few to no Kamio and Ann fanfictions, so I decided to change that. I think the coupling is cute, and I'm not against MomoxAnn either. Just think Kamio's protective exterior towards Ann is kawaii desu.

**Glossary:**

**Sumen / Gomen nasai - **Sorry

**Konbon wa - **Good Evening

**Baka - **Idiot/Dummy

**Arigatou- **Thanks

**Oniisan- **Big Brother

**Imouto- **Little Sister

**Daijobou-ka? - **Are you okay?

----------

Ann watched as the quick serve zoomed pass her and landed on the line before bouncing off court. Turning her head back, she waved at the boy on the other side with her free left hand, complimenting him.

"Eh! Kamio-kun! That was an excellent bullet serve just now!" she shouted from across the court.

"Arigatou Ann-chan! You're not doing so bad yourself!" Grinning, the auburn-hair Fudomine player waved back, his dark brown eyes shimmering with satisfaction.

Ann grinned back. _Kamio-kun is definitely improving_, she noted to herself. _Fudomine is getting stronger_. She raised her right arm to read the time and sighed, quickly pacing herself off the court to the benches where her belongings lay. 

"Gomen-nasai, Kamio-kun, but I have to go! I'll make it up to you next time!" she cried from the benches while she packed.

"Eh? You have to go? Where?" Kamio asked as he walked over to where Ann was packing.

The young light-brown brunette looked up at her friend and smiled. "I have a date with Oniisan today. I promised to meet him at the park."

Kamio's dark brows knotted as he frowned down on Ann. "Yei Yei, Ann-chan. You shouldn't be calling certain things as dates when they're not, Ann!" he lectured, resting his racket over his right shoulder.

She giggled and tossed her pink racket into the matching duffel bag, chocolate brown eyes staring up at the speedy Fudomine player again. "As long as I think it is, I guess there's no harm in it, right?" 

Lifting the pink duffel bag up and carrying it with her right shoulder, Ann walked pass the auburn haired regular of Fudomine and waved goodbye with her free left hand, disappearing as she descended from the street tennis' court.

Kamio lowered his head and sighed with closed eyes. _It hadn't always been this way_, he thought idly. He wasn't always so sensitive to Ann's careless selection of words until a few weeks ago, when he realized that he might like her, a lot. Soon after that, he became more irate and short-tempered when people of the opposite sex, with the exception of Ann's brother, got too close or too friendly with her.

The auburn haired boy sat on the bench and rested as thoughts played in his head. After a few minutes, and a few cans of delectable fizzy-drinks to help him recover his stamina, Kamio also decided it was time to leave. Packing his tennis rackets and balls in his own duffel bag, he used his right hand to try and brush the long bangs away from his right eye, and like always, it would fall back in place and cover it again.

----------

After a few hours worth of walking around the neighbourhoods and malls around the area, Kamio finally decided that it was time for him to head home. The sun was already setting, and his stomach was growling. _Shouldn't have spent all my money on those pricey drinks in the vending machine_, he thought while he walked down the usual road, which would lead him home. 

Walking down the populated sidewalk, Kamio's feet stopped as he admired some flowers displayed outside the flower shop. The beautiful daffodils were fresh and lively, mixing its scent with the lilies that were placed beside it. Looking up from the flowers and into the large glass window, he saw Ann at the other side of the counter, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hmm," the young boy murmured as he wondered whom those flowers could be for. _It couldn't be for Tachibana, it wasn't his birthday nor was it any special day for him other than a regular Tuesday. Maybe it was for Tezuka? He just came back from __Frankfurt__, __Germany__, but Ann barely knows him, so it couldn't it be for him. Could it be that she has a...date?_

Standing outside and thinking silently, Kamio forgot that he was still staring at Ann and was still making humming noises. It was when Ann turned and waved at him that he snapped back to reality, and waved back as he watched her pay the cashier and walk out of the shop towards him.

"Konbon wa, Kamio-kun!" she greeted him with a wave. Standing outside of the flower shop, the scents from the flowers were still magnificent and beautiful.

'Konbon wa," the speed demon smiled. "Yei..." he tilted his head slightly to the left and looked at the bouquet of flowers, trying to seem uninterested and calm at the same time. What a liar. "Looks like an expensive arrangement you got there," he said.

"Ah! This?" Ann looked down at the neatly wrapped bouquet she was holding. There were yellow, vibrant daffodils and white lilies scattered around the bushel. Lily of the Valleys were everywhere, neatly decorated as the vibrant red, white, and blue roses outshone all the others. She looked up at Kamio and smiled. 

"They didn't cost that much, actually. Mr. Yanami and I are friends, so he helped me arrange it and gave me a discount. It does look extravagant though, doesn't it?" 

She watched as her conversing companion nodded, and there were a few seconds of silence before the question popped into her head. 

"Ah! I almost forgot," Ann snickered. "So what are you doing here, Kamio-kun?" She looked at him with her chocolate brown eyes, piercing at his own. 

:"Eh...Um..." he stuttered. Looking at the flowers again, why was he here? He should've been home a good twenty minutes ago! He frowned as he tried to come up with words, but they weren't in service. _Damnit_, he cursed silently.

Ann, still oblivious to Kamio's inner turmoil, followed his gaze to the wonderfully decorated flowers outside of the shop again. She smiled. "Ah! So you were looking at the flowers?" she asked, still with a grin on her face.

Kamio looked back at her, feeling a faint blush rise from his cheeks. He could've answered it for himself, but he wasn't able to. Nodding and smiling, he was beating himself with a stick mentally. 

"Saa...That's right, that's right. I was looking at the flowers." he let out a sheepish grin. 

Ann smiled back in return, realizing how many smiles she was delivering to the 2nd year Fudomine regular. She shook it off inside, and laughed. "Ah. Well, I better get going and deliver these flowers! It's getting dark and Oniisan might get worried if I come home too late!" Slowly, she turned around began to walk towards the bus coming their way.

"Yei--Matte! Ann! Can I come with you? I'll keep you safe," Kamio offered. He also wanted to see who the flowers were for, so he could make a new enemy and beat him up as well.

Ann shook her head and waved as she climbed up the three steps on the bus. "Ahh...It's okay Kamio. Since you two don't get along that well, I would probably end up protecting you!" she stuck her tongue out, carrying out her soft joke as she laughed to herself and waved goodbye. "I'll tell him you said Hi!" she cried out of one of the many windows as it drove off to Kamio's opposite direction.

The 2nd year speed demon of Fudomine froze as the missing pieces were placed together in his mind. He didn't have a lot of foes, Kamio thought to himself. Especially ones that get along with Ann, but not him. If anything, there was probably only one, and--no, it couldn't be...

"Momoshiro?!?" he cried out, and before he knew it, was racing after the bus that left only a minute ago with Ann in it. 

----------  
  
Speeding down the sidewalk, Kamio was thankful that Seigaku was only ten stops away from his house, though it still drained a large amount of energy out of him. He was panting and walking groggily towards the entrance of the school. He saw Ann walking in just a few minutes ago, but was much too tired to run and catch up with her. He was tired, and the tennis bag he was carrying over his right shoulder didn't help, especially when it was banging the daylights out of him while he was running. 

Making a note to put some ointment on his soar back later, the auburn speed demon slumped against the wall enclosing Seigaku Middle School, overlooking the tennis courts at the far right end of the buildings. Something caught his eye and charged him with a second dosage of adrenaline as his eyes gawked for a few moments, letting his mind put the pieces together.

He sped down the school lawn, avoiding the sprinklers as droplets of water continued to spray down on him, but he was on a rampage, and nothing could stop him. Well, sorta. Now closer up, he could clearly make out Ann and Momoshiro, sitting beside each other as she handed the bouquet of flowers to him and smiled. No, his eyes weren't deceiving him. Curling his fingers tightly against a tennis cage, he sprang away from it and ran to the couple, oblivious that a pair of eyes were watching the three, amused, and taking notes.

The tennis meeting had ended a while ago, seeing that only a few people were scattered around the courts, mostly Seigaku members and the rabid fangirls trailing behind them. He stood in front of the bench, his short height somewhat towering over the two people sitting on the bench. Kamio's eyes glared wickedly at Momoshiro, who seemed a bit drunk and mumbling gibberish to himself while Kamio stood in front of him.

Ann looked up and was the first to greet him. Her eyes lit up and a smile formed from her lips. "Kamio-kun! What are you doing here?" she grinned and closed her eyes. The next thing she saw was her friend dragging the larger one up, his red hair dancing in the wind. She looked at him. "Kamio-kun, what's wrong? Kamio!"

The auburn hair Fudomine was blinded by anger as he delivered an uppercut on the wary Momoshiro with his right arm, letting the duffel bag slide down his arm and onto the pavement. He balled up a fistful of cloth on each hand as he shook Momoshiro, screaming.

"You Bastard!" he cried, bruising Momo as his fist met with the other boy's cheek, quite intimately, I might add. "How dare you do this to her? I won't let you! You thief, I bet you were planning on stealing her heart like you stole my bike, and then wreck it by throwing it down a flight of stairs, right? Right?!?" 

"Egyahga-Da-da-woosh?" was all that Momoshiro could mumble out of his mouth. His tongue had turned to liquid. His eyes were swollen as well, so he merely laid there with his head tilted to the side, mumbling nonsense in every direction which no one could make out. 

Ann stood beside the green bench they were just sitting on. Her chocolate eyes, now dipped with a clash of dazzling gradients of brown from the setting sun's rays, watched with horror, knees and hands trembling, she brought her palms up to her face and screamed.

"Kamio-kun! What the heck are you doing?" she cried. 

But the auburn hair boy could only hear the abnormal gurgles coming out of Momoshiro as he delivered punch after punch. Seeing that he earned the name as the powerhouse of Seigaku, this fight was pretty easy for him. _Maybe I was just too fast for him? _His pride bit at him.

"Kamio-kun!" Ann screamed again, eyes clenched as her voice projected throughout the school. She huffed up again, prepared for another ear-popping scream when out of the bushes came Inui, scribbling data in his trusty notebook as he stood beside Ann and his brows knitted.

"Momoshiro still has a fever. Probability of inactivity during a fight: ninety-three percent." the brains of Seigaku said out loud, then, after a few pauses, scribbled data into his notebook. "Good data. Good data," he murmured repeatedly.

After another punch, Kamio freed Momoshiro from his grip and turned to Inui, eyes filled with shock. "Fe-Fever?..." he breathed in disbelief. Her turned around and watched as the big 2nd year Seigaku player began to tip over and fall. Using his quick reflexes, Kamio missed the student and instead, hugged air as Momo made a painful crash onto the concrete.

"Momo-chan!!!" Ann ran to the fallen form and kneeled down, cradling his head with her arms, she made soothing noises to mesh with the helpless gibberish coming out of the boy's mouth. "Daijobou-ka?" she whispered gently, and ran a soft, right palm across the powerhouse's face.

"Gagugyeh..." was all that came out of the guy. His eyes drooped, purple orbs slowly covered by his own eyelids, he made a loud snort before falling into sleep in Ann's arms.

There was a moment of silence, then it was gone, changed by the different glare in Ann's eyes now as she stared up at Kamio, obviously too angry to speak.

"What on earth were you doing?" She managed to keep it in a soft hiss, careful not to disturb Momoshiro's sleep, but the vileness and anger was still noticeable in her tone. "You baka! You could've injured him, badly! Lucky he was big enough to take your hits. What were you thinking?" she growled before turning back to the sleeping boy and caressed a bruise gently on his left cheek, brought to him by the loving, Kamio.

"I...I didn't know. Sumen. I didn't know he was sick--" 

"That still doesn't clear things up. What you did was stupid, Kamio." Ann stared into Kamio's eyes with a direct, and undertone of rudeness.

The auburn hair Fudomine player flinched, but quickly recovered before anyone could notice. She had purposely left the "kun" in his name out, when referring to him. That meant he was no longer a good friend of hers, and all the feelings and emotions developed in the past two years that they knew each other were demolished, forgotten, or put aside, at least. 

He sucked up a breath and lowered his head, staring down at the ground, too ashamed to look up at the girl he thought so fondly of. "I was only trying to protect you, from being hurt," he explained.

The frown on her adorable face didn't match her, it made her seem more sinister, but it certainly fitted her mood right now, so she decided to keep it, and they both knew. "I don't recall ever giving you permission to trespass into my own, personal business, Kamio; especially my love life, and I believe that what I do in my life is only my decision. Don't try to change me, Kamio." she snapped.

The Fudomine regular winced, and nodded. "I understand. Gomen nasai," he bowed before picking up his duffel bag, swinging it over his right shoulder as he walked away without another word.

Ann watched him leave, still cradling Momoshiro's head while he nuzzled closer towards her. Sighing, she looked up and realized that Inui was still standing beside the bench, busily scribbling on his notebook, Ann frowned. 

"This will be placed into my further collection of data," he paused, then began scribbling again, gaining a sweatdrop from Ann. 

"You know, Inui-san, that not all things can be placed or solved by data," she laughed half-heartedly, feeling her top lip twitch slightly upwards as she continued to observe the brains of Seigaku.

He paused, possibly thinking about the comment before looking down again and began jotting down notes on his bound paper booklet. 

"Good Data." He fixed his glasses properly on the bridge of his nose again before continuing. "Good Data."

----------  
  
Kamio opened the glass panel door as the bells hung over the door jingled with a high ringing tune. Taking a deep breath, he shrugged his shoulder again to adjust the weight of the duffel bag and lowered his head. He's never really been to a flower shop before, especially one with so many daffodils and feminine touches which made him even more nervous. It didn't help when the elderly man behind the counter rose from what he was doing and smiled at the auburn haired boy with analyzing eyes.

He remembered him, that boy. He was outside of his shop earlier, talking to Ann-chan. A slight frown built up from his brows as he welcomed the boy to his shop. He was old, but knew how the boy's feelings all too well. It was, of course, how he first courted his wife too. Taking an educated guess on the situation, he smiled again, forming a grin.

Kamio was nervously tapping his fingers on the glass counter, his face lowered so he couldn't see the expression the old man was giving. His normal skin tone perked up a few notches as his cheeks flustered, dying them with red when the man behind the counter asked what he needed.

"I wa-want to...Spe-Special arrangement. For Ann Tachibana. Thanks." he bowed his head and as he wrote a cheque to pay for the special arrangement, he couldn't help but look up at the smiling man before he leaves. the old man chuckled to himself as the boy walked out of his shop.

His educated guess was right.

----------  
  
She sat down across the dining table with a cup of tea that Momo-chan's mother kindly offered her. She sipped it politely, making sure not to slurp as she looked up and saw those opaque glasses staring back at her. The owner of them would never have to fear having his emotions read through his eyes since you can't see them.

"What is it, Inui-san?" she asked, the teacup still propped up to her lip for another sip. Her frown deepened when he flipped open his notebook and skimmed through to his desired page. He cleared his throat and read it out loud.

"Data. Calculations prove that Kamio of Fudomine may have developed a slight fondness towards Tachibana's sister, Ann-chan. Probability of data to be correct, ninety-two percent accurate."

Ann shook her head and managed to stifle a laugh, turning it into a slight cough while she excused herself. She looked up at Inui, but wasn't to able read anything, part of it the glasses' fault. It amazed her how he can calculate so many things in data. She grinned.

"Yei...Inui-san, you can calculate emotions and feelings as well?" She watched the spike-haired boy nod with knitted brows. "Interesting," she smirked.

"It's more complicated than skill data, but I like the challenge." He glanced into his book again. "93% Kamio likes you, Ann Tachibana."

She placed her cup back onto the saucer and her expression changed to a wary one. "I heard you the first time," she sighed and looked up and him. "What about the missing seven percent?" 

Inui shrugged. "Data is data. It just calculated that way." For the first time, Inui lifted his glasses up and looked at Ann-chan dead in the eye, sending her back a little, but she regained her composure. "This may be one of the only times I will say this to anyone, Ann," he set an undertone in his voice to make the emphasis of the matter stand out. 

Ann leaned forward, her chocolate brown eyes meeting Inui's. They were beautiful, yes they were. Maybe not as wonderful and intense as Fuji's, but Inui's were still wonderful and magnificent, depicting years of knowledge, wisdom, and dedication. It was then that Ann realized why so many people look up to his calculations, and so many go against it. His knowledge was either worshipped, or discarded, but seeing into the older man's eyes, she knew all disregards would change when they look into those orbs full of wisdom. 

It was a little too amazing and a shock for her. Ann blinked once and opened her ears as she listened intently, to every word that would come out of his mouth.

He hesitated a bit before speaking. "Rarely do my personal beliefs disagree or overpower my data, but here I am, readying myself to tell you that I'm one-hundred percent positive that Kamio does like you; enough to go against the powerhouse of the Seigaku Tennis Club because he cares about you. Sometime, data can be wrong-- no, miscalculated, and when that happens, it takes more than data to fix the problem. It takes a mind, Ann, and mine is telling me that he really likes you. The missing seven percent will be corrected later."

Ann sipped the remaining of her tea as the information slipped into her head and she stood up, taking a peak at her watch. "I better get going. Oniisan might get worried, seeing that it's already so late, and he's saving me dinner. Thank you for your insight and helping me lug Momo-chan home." 

Bowing, she reached for her duffel bag under her chair and picked it up. "Ja," she waved while her feet directed her out of Momoshiro's kitchen and heading downstairs to the door.

"Ja ne," Inui murmured, picking up his teacup and saucer in one hand as he lifted the fine china drank the herbal tea inside it. "I'll tell Mrs. Momoshiro you said goodbye, and Ann?"

The girl turned her head, half of her back facing Inui while the rest was covered by her duffel bag, slung on her shoulder. "Yes?"

The Seigaku member smirked. "You were right. Some things can't be used or stored as data."

She watched as his pair of glasses fell back onto the bridge of his nose again, eyes covered with opaque lenses. She couldn't help but smile at how calculated the young man's life is, even without him knowing. Turning her head back, she began to descend from the top of the staircase.

"That's great," she grinned, right foot barely landing on the second step as she carried her question out. "But how'd you figure it out?"

He lifted the fine china up again and took a long, leisurely sip. "I calculated it on my database, of course."

She nearly fell down the flight of stairs.

----------  
  
Conversing with the rest of the regulars in Fudomine Middle School, Kamio had been quite comfortable until he caught a familiar movement at the corner of his left eye.

Ann Tachibana came to school as usual, a smile pasted on her face with her bangs clipped to the side, eyes chocolate brown with sparkling intelligence that only a few know about. Kamio stopped mid-sentence and watched as she entered the group, like usual, and greeted every player except for the auburn haired boy, silent with his head bowed down as he felt her gaze locking onto him; one that wasn't at all friendly. She turned away and waved goodbye to all the other regulars before heading to class.

The group only gave Kamio a second of silence before the poor boy was bombarded with questions. Tachibana wore them off, but his question stuck in the air as the group awaited for an answer.

"Kamio, what's gotten into you and Ann? She was angry and refused to talk about it yesterday, and I heard your name under her mumbles."

"Its...It's nothing," he answered shyly, and there was an eerie silence set upon the group.

For Kamio, the day was an uncomfortable roller coaster ride. He saw Ann walk pass him in the hallways more than usual, and everytime they did pass by each other, it was the weird reaction he developed towards her now. Lowering his head a little, he would watch as she walked pass him without looking back, huffing and restraining a growl every time.

It was a shock for the Fudomine tennis players to find out that their dear Ann wasn't with them for their tennis practice today. She was always there, cheering them on, and conversing with the observers. They had unofficially adopted her as their mascot and 'kawaii imouto'. Questions blared behind Kamio's back as the day went on, but whenever asked, Kamio would only reply with five words.

"I'll take care of it," he repeated for the fiftieth time today.

----------  
  
After the tennis practice and a few selected stops, Kamio got off the pale blue bus and looked up at the sign, hammered against a brick wall. 'Seigaku Middle School' it printed proudly with gold letters. He frowned. The speedy Fudomine player never realized how under budget his school was until he compared them with the infamous Seigaku. The frown deepened as he walked inside towards the tennis court, making out the outlines of Momo-chan and Ann-chan as they sat together at the identical spot where all the trouble began. 

Taking a deep breath, he folded his hands behind his back as he walked towards the group. Eiji Oishi were speaking with each other at the far end of the fence, in front of the bench where Ann-chan sat. Fuji had come walking into the scene as he greeted Ann with his usual, warm smile. 

Kamio puffed up and walked up towards Ann, eyes dark, but underneath it all was a scent of vulnerability. He watched as her chocolate brown eyes shifted from Fuji to him, watching the auburn haired boy stand next to her in an immobile state. He watched her eyes flash from surprise to lack of interest. That hurt him a little bit. 

"Hi," he said. There's practically no other word to describe it than 'said' because it was that plain.

Her eyelids grew heavier, and she looked at him again with a blank stare. "Hmmm...Hi." she yawned, tilting her head to snuggle closer to Momo-chan, who was covered with band-aids and patches. "What do you want?" she managed to finish before resting on Momo's broad shoulders, causing the larger man to blush.

Kamio jerked his head forward and growled, but managed to hold back. His gaze turned to Momoshiro, who was looking at him dumbly. He eyed him suspiciously. "Momoshiro! Why aren't you hurting me?"

The larger man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What? Why would I hurt you--"

"He fell," Ann interrupted them boldly, eyes so intense. "He was knocked out after the first fall from the stairs in Seigaku hallway, Kamio. He was delusional that day." Her left eye twitched a little as she tried to send the information into Kamio's simple mind. "You got that?"

Kamio nodded as Momoshiro eyed them suspiciously, but thought to let it pass. He sat back down on the bench and rested his back, mumbling, "Yeah, it was some kind of damn fall."

Before Kamio could add into that comment with a smart one that might get him pummeled. Ann stood up and walked to Kamio, standing in front of him. Even though she was much more petite than the speed demon, her confidence made up for it, and she stood there, staring into his eyes without pinch of nervousness.

"So what are you doing here, Kamio? You never come here. Don't tell me..." Ann let out a sigh. "You're meddling into my own business again, aren't you?" Raising her index and middle finger, she rubbed the migraine from her head with her right hand. Pushing what Inui said to her aside, she glared at him. "If you even think that this time I'll---"

"Gomen nasai!" The words spilled out of his mouth in a quick pace. He pulled the bouquet of white lilies and red roses out from his back and shoved it at her with shaking hands, blushing slightly as he stared at the gray pavement once more. 

Ann watched as the bouquet of flowers was shoved against her chest before she took hold of it. Another push against her chest, and Ann would have delivered a painful punch in the Fudomine player's place. 

"How did you know, Kamio, that these were my two favourite kinds of flowers?" Ann frowned, but inside, her heart was dancing, and making 'I love you too!' signs, secretly directed at the auburn hair boy.

"Mr.Yanami. Special Arrangment, I..." he paused and took a deep breath. He's been taking a lot of deep breaths, he thought to himself silently. Shaking it off for another time, he looked up at Ann and the words came out of him a mile a minute.

"Ann-chan, I know you might be angry at me and I'm very sorry but I got out of hand because I didn't want you to get hurt and I know I was being stupid and I'm not good enough to be your boyfriend but...." he took another long breath and continued. "I know that I might not be the strongest boy ever, or the cutest, or the funniest, or the smartest, or just plain sensitive, but I really like you and I want you to know that before I go on my life after you reject me." He paused, and waited for his breath to level.

Ann stared at him with wide eyes, but her gaze stopped abruptly as she closed her eyes and smiled. "Baka Kamio," she began. "Give me some time to talk as well." She looked walked a step closer towards Kamio. "I think we should have a date." 

"Ahh, Ann-chan..." he groaned. "Please don't use that word if you're planning to reject me and take me in as a friend only. Hang out is better," he suggested, but even quick reflexes couldn't stop the soft hand smacking him at the side of his right temple, making his head jolt.

"Baka Kamio-kun. You didn't let me finish! I want to date you...

And only you..."

The biggest grin plastered on Kamio's face while the Seigaku members watched in a bemused sense, but before anything else could happen, Ann's face turned into a frown again, one that was awfully sinister. "But I have one more thing to say to you!" she huffed.

Kamio watched as his happy smile faded once more. "Ye...Yes?"

She went up to him, the tip of their noses nearly touching one another's before she replied. "I just wanted to say!" she shouted, "Thank you." and she kissed him gently on the cheek.

As the new couple rejoiced and laughed, along came Inui as he walked pass the two and calculated. "Compatibility with Ann and Kamio--ninety-five percent" Scribbling a few more notes, the brains of the Seigaku Tennis Team turned the corner and disappeared, leaving the rest of the group in a state without words.

-----------

**Author's Note: **Maa...I apologize if anybody seemed out of character. There were probably thousands of grammatical errors etc. in the story as well. Look forward to scene changes and a lot of editing, because I'm just too lazy to figure it out myself until someone points them out for me. Sheesh, I really need a muse or something. *sweatdrops* I have some ideas for a sequal, but it's still under consideration. Don't want to mess this up even more. 

Hope you enjoyed it!

Ja ne.

**Update:  **Corrected the errors and stuff in the story.  Thanks for pointing them out!  Arigatou Gozaimashita! 


	2. This Girl

**This Girl-Sequel**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Prince of Tennis

**Author's Note**: Sorry this took so long to update.  I would've finished it two weeks ago if my computer did not assassinate my hard drive and I had to get a new one.  I'm also using another typing program, which is driving me crazy.  I don't even know where the fonts are.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I apologize for any Out of Character. (Probably Kamio and Inui)

**Glossary:**

**Oniisan** - Big Brother

**Buchou** - Captain

**Daijobou Ka?** - Are you okay?

**Daijobou** - Okay

**Matte** - Wait

**Onegai** - Please

--------------------------------------------------------------

            The Fudomine tennis courts were in an uproar.  Club members practiced on remaining courts while the regulars carried on their own, specific practices.  Everyone was ready for the upcoming tournament.

            Tachibana stood outside of one of the Fudomine regular's practice match.  Cross-armed, the young 3rd year captain of Fudomine Tennis Club observed the match between Ishida and Sakurai, eyes calm with the vision of an eagle while he silently noted the flaws and improvements needed for both players.  Suddenly, a movement on the outside of another tennis court caught his eye.  A flash of light purple, he broke his gaze on the tennis court as his eyes turned and softened at the sight of the young girl standing outside another court beside his.  Her fingers linked on the cage earnestly as she observed the two players in the middle of a heated game.  

            The captain smiled to himself before leaving his own court to stride toward the other girl's.  Standing beside her, Ann didn't realize her older brother as her eyes widened at a shot Kamio made, watching it nearly past Ibu before the blue haired boy lobbed it up to the other side.  Tachibana continued to stare at his younger sister, a frown emerging from his thick brows.

            "Observing the game?" Tachibana mildly asked.

            Ann's head jerked a bit, light brown strands lifting up in the air as she shook her head and broke her concentration on the game before her.  Looking up, Ann would've scowled at the person for interrupting her, if it weren't her brother standing beside her with a warm smile on his face.  Her chocolate brown eyes widened with a sweet smile across her face.  

            "Oniisan," her smile glimmered.  

            Tachibana closed his eyes and grinned at his younger sister before turning his head to watch the game in front of them.  Ann soon did the same as well.  The captain's eyes grew dark as thoughts ran through his head.

            He had always noticed the extra care and attention his younger sister had towards the young speed demon of Fudomine, and he had also noticed the over protective traits Kamio would reveal when someone was too close towards his younger sister, aside from himself.  It didn't surprise him that they soon became a couple; he was actually happy for them.  However, he will always be a brother and a captain at heart.  Kamio and Ann's relationship had somewhat become public, causing him to worry for the new couple much more than he had anticipated.

            In the status of a captain, Ann's relationship towards one of the regular players could come as a threat and a weakness to Kamio, especially with his overprotective layers when he sees his girlfriend with another male, aside from himself.  Ann can easily be used as a plan to destroy Kamio, if done properly.  He stole a glance at his younger sister once more; her chocolate brown eyes still pasted onto the match between Kamio and Ibu, and sighed.  

In a brother's view, he was more concerned with Ann's well being.  Ann Tachibana had always been extremely close to the regulars of Fudomine's tennis club.  Everyone had adopted her as their unofficial mascot, but Tachibana couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the amount of attention his younger sister has given to Kamio, instead of himself.  

They had always been close, and he cared for her deeply.  Knowing that there's another important person in her life now, he couldn't help but feel a little hurt, and sometimes left out.  He managed to hide it well though, and what little boundaries Ann unknowingly sets up, she repays with personal days out, especially for her 'darling Oniisan', as she liked to call him.  But deep inside, far from all his trust and belief in Kamio, there will always be a small part of him which challenges the auburn haired boy's loyalty and affection towards his younger sister.  Could he handle Ann's heart with enough care as he did in the past?

He remembered what he said to Kamio one day while they were outside, observing a tennis match behind the fence.

_"So you two are now a couple?" Tachibana's voice carried out in a low whisper that only Kamio could hear._

_"Ye-Yes...Buchou," the speed demon muttered sheepishly.  "I guess it just happened."_

_The captain closed his eyes before staring back at Kamio, eyes a darker shade than usual.  "Congratulations then," he said with a smile.  It was quickly wiped off and his face turned into a serious expression.  "But hear me, Kamio-kun.  I care for you both, but Ann is very dear to me."_

_"Ye-Yes..." the younger boy stuttered_.  _"I will take care of Ann-chan, you have my word."_

_"I never doubted it before," the captain's lips began to curve upwards once more.  "But in case of a rare occasion, where Ann's heart may be broken," he watched Kamio with a fearful intensity in his eyes.  "I will always be your captain, but I am a brother to Ann, first."_

_The auburn haired boy swallowed hard as Tachibana's expression changed once more and he began to laugh.  Kamio joined in shyly as well._

_"I'm serious," Tachibana rolled out of his tongue, patted the stricken Kamio on the back and walked into the change room after dismissing the club._

The captain sighed again.  Still, there was the problem about using Ann as a weakness to alter Kamio's performance.  He turned towards his younger sister, eyes staring down at her with a captain's glare.  The young girl felt the intense pair of eyes watching her, and turned her chocolate brown ones to meet them.  A confusing frown appeared on her face.

"Ann-chan," her brother began.  She stared at him with a raised eyebrow, giving him her full attention.  "We need to talk," the captain stated.

"Okay." She turned her small body to face the Fudomine captain, hands falling back to the sides of her waist.  Being small didn't interfere with the strong aura she has when facing people that were older, taller, and bigger than her.  

            Tachibana stared back at her with a serious and worried expression on his face.  "You've been hanging out here a lot more, lately."  He made it a statement, and Ann verified it with a nod.  "I'm happy that you and Kamio are so close, but they can use that against him to ruin his performance when he plays against his opponents."

            "What do you mean?" Ann inquired.

            "You two have carried on your relationship in public, and there's nothing wrong with that.  But Kamio will enter many tournaments, and face different opponents.  Opponents who like to pinpoint weaknesses."  His eyes softened.  "Ann, I know you and Kamio don't spend a lot of time with each other.  I've been holding practices three days a week."

            "You can say that again," she muttered.

            "But the Kantou Tournament will be hard to beat.  Maybe you can keep your relationship and visits in low profile?  I'm just worried about the opponents who might use you against Kamio.  Your relationship may be in jeopardy too, Ann, and I don't want that because of some silly game."

            "I understand," she sighed.  Chocolate brown eyes stared up at him.  "I'll try to hold back, Oniisan."

            "Thank you.  But, do you think we can keep this a secret?  Between you and me?"

            "Of course!" his younger sister smiled. 

            They turned back to the court as Kamio wiped the sweat off his forehead with a white towel and waved at Ann, smiling happily.  "Sorry," the speed demon cried apologetically.  "Did I keep you waiting?"  He walked towards Ann in a slow jog.

            The young girl only smiled and laughed.  "Not at all.  You both did great," she grinned.

            Talking briefly, the couple separated as Ann sat on the wooden picnic bench while her boyfriend went inside to change out of his uniform.

            Tachibana raised an eyebrow, looked at his watch and dismissed the members.  The captain had lost track of time.

------

            The sun had already begun setting when the young couple walked out of the Fudomine entrance and into the sidewalk.  Hands linked together, Kamio and Ann had purposely lingered around the tennis courts a little longer, waiting for Tachibana to leave so the two could have some privacy.  The plan carried on successfully as they walked down the sidewalk of a busy street; heart and soul fluttering somewhere on cloud number nine.  

            While strolling down the busy road, the auburn hair tennis player couldn't help but steal a glance at his companion with light brown hair; streaked with a lighter tone of highlights.  It brought a smile to his face as he watched his young sweetheart grow before his eyes.  The traces of amber tints slowly forming over her signature brown glare, and the slight growth spurt she had encountered, causing the young freshman to rise a few inches more.  The once cute, slightly rounded face had grown longer, carrying out a more elegant feature when observing her.  The changes were subtle, and almost unnoticeable to a common everyday glance, but through Kamio's attentiveness, they seemed to jump out at him.  It was strange, the feelings he had towards Ann, and it shocked him to realize how much his life revolved around the young girl standing beside him with a hand linked to his.

He was inevitably, falling in love with Ann Tachibana.

            As Kamio helped the smiling girl up the steps, he watched as she took a ring of keys out of her pocket and used one to open the door to her home.  Turning the knob slowly as the door creaked open, her shining brown eyes sparkled at the Fudomine player affectionately.

            "Well, this is my stop," Ann grinned.  "Thank you for taking me home, Kamio-kun."

            "It was nothing." The boy's smile glittered with shining white teeth.  He uses Aquafresh daily.  "I'm still sorry though, for not being able to spend time with you on my birthday next week. It's just that the Kantou tournament is coming up, and the Buchou--I mean...You're Oniisa--I mean," he searched for the right word.

            "Buchou's fine," the girl suggested.  "And don't worry about unnecessary things," Ann smiled, tilting her head slightly to the side.  "I understand how important the match is for everyone in Fudomine, including your teammates.  You can't let them down and miss a good chance to go to the Nationals."  

            She bent forward quickly and gave the boy a small kiss on the cheek before entering the house and closing the door behind her.  "Just try your best," Ann waved before it clicked shut.

            The second year Fudomine stood still on her doorstep as his hand gently caressed the pecked area, beginning to flush.  A wide grin soon followed as he danced down the stone steps and skipped into the sidewalk, face beaming while he pranced home.

--------

            It was long after midnight when the realization came to Ann, and slowly her habitual smile fell to a small pout, and she became upset.  She hadn't understood the situation until now; that Kamio would be spending his birthday in a tennis court, practicing to exhaustion.  The light brown hair fell in strands, covering her face as she turned to her side and tightly embraced the stuffed animal beside her.   She had totally forgotten the conversation her big brother had at the dinner table just a few weeks ago.  According to him, Fudomine was supposed to practice with Seigaku on the day of Kamio's birthday in Ryuzaki-Sensei's school.  

            "Poor Kamio-kun," she sighed and snuggled closer against the large stuffed animal.  Stirring restlessly in her bed, Ann finally came up with a perfect plan and nursed herself to sleep.  _Tomorrow will be a big day_, she thought.  _And it will take a lot of pleading to make this work.  _Smiling, the light hair brunette dozed off, filled with happy dreams and endless planning.

-------

            Everything seemed ordinary the next day in the Fudomine Tennis Club, except for one thing: Ann Tachibana was no where in sight.

            Everyone seemed a little disappointed that their team mascot wasn't present that day, but soon shrugged it off and went on with their daily practices.  It was Kamio who took the blow the hardest.  Ann had sat next to him at lunch today, like every other day, eating and laughing with the Fudomine Regulars, but nothing was mentioned about her not appearing in the tennis courts.  Sighing, the auburn hair tennis regular lost his well-known rhythm and watched as the ball bounced off his court.

            His teammate and opponent slowly walked to the front of the net, blank eyes observing the young speed demon as the wind swept through his dyed blue hair.  "Kamio-kun, are you okay?" Ibu asked in his soft-spoken voice. 

            "Saa...I'm okay.  Let's go again," Kamio panted.  Bending his knees in a crouching position, the speed demon began building up his rhythm and concentration again.  He frowned when his match partner didn't move.

            Ibu blinked.  "You seem like you're hiding something.  That's not good.  Hiding emotions isn't healthy for your body or your performance.  You should quit hiding things.  Your parents pay good money to keep you healthy.  Psychiatrist, you should see a psychiatrist before you start causing harm to your body.  It can cause emotional wounds; your concentration will drop, thus creating a burden for you and your family..."

            Kamio tsked, annoyed as he threw the ball up to serve.  "Just start the damn game," he growled, and delivered a quick serve to the other court.    

------

            Finally arriving at the Seigaku tennis courts, Ann couldn't help but lounge against a green picnic bench while she tried desperately to catch her breath.  She rested an elbow on each leg while she looked between them and onto the pavement, light brown hair falling as it hid her face.

            A pair of running shoes appeared before her.  "You're late," the familiar voice noted.

            Ann frowned and looked up, eyes meeting dark purple orbs.  "I forgot--"she panted, "to bring my bus tokens with me-- today."  A large hand reached out to help her up, and she gladly accepted it while Momoshiro easily lifted the girl to her feet.

            "Ahh...What an absent-minded girl," the Seigaku powerhouse teased.  

            "You could've just left," she shot back.

            "Yes, but I'm too kind."

            "Lies," she grinned.  Momoshiro couldn't help but laugh as well.  He watched her picked up her backpack before heading off, side by side.

            "So what did you want to ask?" Momo eyed the girl suspiciously.

            "A favour," Ann replied casually.

            "Figures.  Then shouldn't we be heading out of school property to talk?" he asked.

            "No."  Chocolate brown eyes gazed up at him.  "We need Ryuzaki Sensei's permission."

            "The Old Lady?"  

            "That's what you call her?" Ann raised an eyebrow and turned back to the road.  "Yes.  I need to talk about the Fudomine and Seigaku practice match that will be holding here next week."  She noticed the tall boy looking down at her curiously with purple eyes, and met him with a sweet smile. "That's Kamio's birthday," she answered. 

            "Maa...The short brat?" He raised his hands up behind his head, the confusion still in his eyes.  "So what's that got to do with our old lady?"

            "I'm planning on asking your coach if we can hold a surprise party for Kamio-kun that day in the locker room."  Her brows knotted with a concerned expression.  "And I need your help in organizing it."

            "Me?!?" The spiky hair powerhouse of Seigaku stood in his tracks, his right index finger pressing against his chest.  "Me?  You want me to beg the old lady and help you plan the party? No way!"  Momoshiro crossed his arms and turned his back on the girl, fuming.

            "Please, Momo-chan!" Ann shook his arm gently.  "I need all the help I can get!"

            "I don't even like him!" he reasoned.  "Go ask Fudomine to help organize the party!  The Old Lady will more than likely agree to your shenanigans."  

            "I can't do that!" She shook him harder.  "They'll tell him, and then it won't be a surprise!  Only Seigaku can help me.  Please, Momo-chan. Please!"

            Rolling his purple eyes and grunting, Momo finally gave in.  While Ann dragged the large tennis player to see his coach, Momoshiro couldn't help but wonder why he was doing this.

            _Must be my dripping sincerity, _he concluded with a sigh.

-------

            Sitting on one of the side benches in the street tennis court, Kamio kicked the dirt up with his heel and sulked.  It had been four days since Ann-chan had stopped coming to the after-school tennis practices, and five days since he's spent any private time with her.  Today was his first full day off from the tennis club, but Ann wasn't here to celebrate it with him.  The speed demon had called her earlier, but she hadn't picked up her phone.  Kamio had hoped to see her in the street tennis courts, but she wasn't here either.  He continued dwelling in his own frustration before a tennis ball zoomed inches away from his face.  The auburn hair boy looked back at the bleachers.

            Standing in the middle row was Atobe and his oversized henchman, Kabaji.  The tennis captain of Hyotei smiled unpleasantly at the Fudomine speed demon as he swung his racket around aimlessly.  Bored out of his mind, Atobe hoped that the measly 2nd year Fudomine Regular would entertain him if antagonized enough.  Hopefully, the lavender hair boy prays that his attempts didn't work in vain.

            Kamio tightened his fists and growled, snarling at the foes in front of him.  "Hey!  That ball nearly hit me!" he shouted angrily.  "Apologize now!"

            The Hyotei captain slowly sat down on the steal bench and hummed disappointingly.  "Ah, yes.  I do apologize.  What a terrible shot," the lavender hair mused.  "I can't believe I missed your face!  Maybe next time," the 3rd year grinned.

            "What did you say?  Why you--" Quickly climbing up the bleacher, Kamio pulled back his right arm, preparing to smash it in the Hyotei captain's face, but sadly his plan was foiled when the huge man behind Atobe picked the speed demon up and held him there, effortlessly. 

            The lavender hair boy watched as his henchman walked down the rows and dropped the Fudomine player back onto the green court, causing the captain to smirk.  This was going to be interesting, the vain male thought.

            "Now now," Atobe cooed.  "Don't vent your anger on the innocent, just because your relationship with your captain's little sister isn't working out," he smiled.  "Though, I can't say I blame her for not liking you, I mean---"

            "Shut up!" the auburn hair Fudomine hissed.  "Don't you dare talk about Ann like that in front of me, or I'll wipe your clock with my fist!" his blood boiling with temper.

            Atobe just looked away and yawned.  _This is getting rather lame, _he told himself.  Slowly turning back to face the enraging delinquent, the Hyotei captain couldn't help but smile as he watched the two friends climbing up the street tennis steps.  _Well what a coincidence, _Atobe's smile grew wider.  Gathering himself up, he looked down at Kamio warmly.

            "Now--"the young captain froze as Kabaji whispered Kamio's name into his leader's right ear.  "Kamio," he smiled.  "Let's not over-react, just because Ann is two-timing you with a Seigaku player behind your back...Literally." 

 Atobe raised his arm and pointed behind the enraged Fudomine player.  It was a pleasure watching the boy's expression change from anger to shock as his head turned back to see the couple walking up the stairs, smiling and laughing.  The captain would've loved to stay longer and witness Hell rise over the tennis court, but he was hungry and stood up to leave, with Kabaji close behind.

Before exiting the other side of the courts, Atobe raised his eyes at his large companion and smiled.  "Wasn't that fun, Kabaji?" the lavender haired asked.

The expressionless player only nodded as he followed his captain out to the busy sidewalk.

"Ne, Momo-chan, wasn't the shopping fun?" Ann asked, smiling up at Momoshiro.  Both were still oblivious to the still figure in front of them while they watched each other.

"I wouldn't necessarily say 'fun'," the Seigaku powerhouse chuckled.  A sweatdrop formed from his head.  "Spending three hours in a party shop, deciding whether we should use red or blue for the banners really isn't as 'fun' as you said it would be."

"Naa...We've finished shopping for the party supplies at least.  We can take the quick shortcut through the tennis court now and drop the items at your school.  Then, I'll treat you to ramen."

"Soo ka?" Momoshiro grinned.  "Then I guess the tiring hours were worth it."

"Stop exaggerating and start picking up the pace before I change my mind about the ramen," Ann retorted with a laugh.

While walking across the tennis court, both Ann and Momoshiro stopped as they came face to face with a fuming Kamio, his body vibrating with anger.

"Yo-You!!!" the speed demon raised a shaking finger at Momo.  

"Uh-oh" Ann looked up at Momoshiro as her boyfriend strode furiously across and covered the small space between them.  His shaking finger was now pressed against Momoshiro's chest, causing the powerhouse to frown.

"Kamio-kun." Ann shot a sweet and nervous smile as she flung her hands slowly, the shopping bags rattling as she gestured.  "It's not what you think," she managed to giggle.

The redhead stood, gazing blankly at Momoshiro's Seishun Gakuen uniform before his turned dark cold charcoal eyes in Ann's direction.  The young girl felt weak on her knees as she forced herself to stare back at him, but she was afraid.  Those eyes weren't Kamio's eyes.

"What's in the bag?"  Kamio slurred coolly through his lips.  Momoshiro raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of tone, but kept silent as the light brown hair girl shook her head slowly, hiding the cherry red bags behind her back. 

"They're nothing," the girl replied simply.  "Momo-chan and I were just getting something at the shop down the street."

"Presents? For each other?"  The auburn hair boy managed to keep his voice cool and neutral, but deep inside, his blood was freezing and his heart was slowly breaking into pieces, falling to the ground.  

Ann look shocked.  Momoshiro interrupted the conversation abruptly, trying to explain to the light brunette's boyfriend.  "That's not it!  We were just---"

"I don't want to hear it from you!" the shorter boy hissed, and the voices fell silent again.  He looked at Ann, eyes glazed and shielded so well, Ann was afraid as she looked at him.  "Ann," he began.

"Its not--"

            But the girl was cut off with a soft pair of lips pressing against hers.  Kamio's soft lips that so frequently sends her to heaven when they touch hers were now doing it again, but this time she froze and couldn't react.  Something was wrong.

            Slowly, the Fudomine speed demon pulled back.  His face only inches away from hers while he let out a hopeless chuckle.  "Forget it Ann, just forget it.  It doesn't matter anymore."

            "Wha-what do you mean?"  Brown eyes shot up at him, coated with a thin layer of amber that was filled with fear and horror.

            He stood up and regained his composure, turning his back to the rest as he faced the opposite exit and once again, silence fell upon the three before the speed demon turned his head back to smile at Ann.  Eyes brimming with tears that will never be allowed to fall in front of Ann and the large teenager who stole her from him.  

            "I'm going to quit the Regulars spot after our practice with Seigaku," he decided.   Watery eyes looking down on the ground as a bitter smile formed on his lips.  "It'll be better for the both of us, Ann."  The soft voice soon turned to a snarl as his glare turned to Momoshiro.  "And I'll see you, Momoshiro.  Look forward to a match."  Those hateful eyes turned as he shot to the opposite direction of the two, his speed and feet carrying quickly across the courts to the other exit.

            _He's breaking up with me?  He's breaking up with me.  _Ann watched as the crystalline tears managed to slip from her brown eyes and down her cheek.  She could only take a step forward before stumbling and falling to the ground.  The contents in her bags fell out, revealing banners and silly string while her palms pressed painfully on the texture of the tennis court, soaking the ground with her tears.  

            "Wait, Kamio."  Her lips trembled slightly.  A large but soft hand squeezed on her right shoulder lightly as the spiky hair Seigaku Regular knelt beside her, an apologetic expression on his face as he watched Ann cry.

            "He didn't let me explain," the girl whimpered.  Momoshiro wrapped his arms around her, cradling her as he watched her cry.  "He wouldn't listen to me!" 

*****

            After hours of long showers and listening to music, Kamio's mind still wasn't at ease.  In fact, he was getting more frustrated and torn up inside.  Skipping his supper, the auburn haired boy decided to take an early nap as he climbed up the wooden flight of stairs and slumped into his room.  He used his right index finger to turn the blinding light off and fell on his stomach against the soft bed.  

            _Ann-chan, _his thoughts forced to deliver, causing the young speed demon to scream in exasperation and flick the nearby radio on, hoping that it would drown out his thoughts and send him to slumber.

            The song on the radio played as it harmonized with Kamio's feelings while he rested on the feathery pillow.

            "A few questions that I need to know

            How could you ever hurt me so?"

            The auburn hair youngster shook his head while he muffled his face into the soft, white pillow.  It was over.  Ann and he was no longer an item.  Seeing Momoshiro with her and watching her hide the bags was enough proof for him.  The boy sighed.  

            "Was it that I never paid enough attention?

            Or did I not give enough affection?"

            The fact that she broke up with him wasn't the worse part, but having told and seeing her cheat with another boy was just cruel and unnecessary.  Was he really that bad of a boyfriend to have his partner so frustrated and lonely that she had to find someone else to cure herself behind his back?  Was he so bad that she couldn't even wait to break up with him before throwing herself to another boy?  

            _Must be_, Kamio thought sadly.

            "My head's spinnin'

            Boy I'm in a daze

            I feel isolated

            Don't wanna communicate

            I'll take a shower, 

            I will scour, I will run--"

            For the past six hours he had tried to do everything in his power to ease his sorrow and pain, but to no avail.  It hurts to the point where he could feel his body shiver and tremble at a single touch and he had to break off from the world, or he would break himself, and shatter in the abyss of insanity and depression.

            "Never ever have I ever felt so low

            When you gonna take me out of this black hole

            Never ever have I ever felt so sad--"

            The humility of being cheated on scorned his body like burning coal.  It was amazing how Ann could do so much to him, but no matter how badly it hurts, he could never let go of that once, sweet and caring girl that took care of him and watched him while he rallied with his tennis team-mates.

            "I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind

            I've never ever had my conscious to fight

            The way I'm feelin' yeah, it just don't feel right."

            It had struck him so hard when he realized he was falling in love with Ann.  She mustn't have felt it.  The way the world would transform into a happier place whenever she was near, or when their hands met.  The way his soul floats up into the air when her soft lips press against his, or the times where he would face even the Devil himself to make Ann's tears dry away.  So easy for him to let her in, and so hard to let her go, Kamio felt his heart tear and rip in painful directions.  He couldn't fight not loving Ann; no matter how hard he tried.

            "I love Ann," he murmured into his pillow, his alto voice beginning to crack.  "I love you."

            And with that, the young boy successfully cried himself to sleep.

******

            The chestnut hair prodigy watched with closed eyes as the girl beside him warily finished the last banner, hooked on a nail at the wall.  Her swollen eyes  clearly depicted a night of endless crying, and even her hands trembled as the pale faced complexion of the girl turned to look at Fuji, her brown eyes filled with dark shrouds.

            "...Is there a problem, Fuji-senpai?" Ann asked.  Her eyes glazed over even more as she spoke, and her soft voice cracked quietly.

            "Saa...I was just admiring your nice hairpin," he simply nudged his chin upwards to the butterfly clips held at the side of the young girl's head.  "Very beautiful."

            Ann smiled a lazy smile and finished the banner leisurely, hopping off the small step ladder to begin the other decorations before the Fudomine players arrived here, at Seishun Gakuen.

            Fuji completed his task of decorating the walls with stickers before walking over to the group of Seigaku tennis regulars on the far side of the tennis court.

            "Saa...," Fuji began as he paced casually to the group, soft rosy lips curving to his usual smile as he entered the group, and the members stared at him with nods and greetings.  The brown hair prodigy continued to watch the girl who was busily arranging the snack table at the other side before rolling them into the storage room for hiding.  "If the rumours are true, then why is Ann still holding this party?" the smiling regular asked.

            "She didn't want to let our hard work go to waste," Oishi frowned worriedly.  "She said it would be awful if she wasted our time with a half party," the mushroom cut vice-captain explained.

            "Aaah...Poor Ann-chan," Kikumaru sniffed. 

            Ryuzaki pushed her way into the group as she delivered her infamous smirk.  "Hmm...I didn't know Tezuka enjoys gossiping as much as the rest of us," the coach teased.

            Tezuka remained stoic and serious with his arms folded across his chest.  "Practice begins now. 25 Laps for anyone who doddles."

            Before Tezuka could begin running himself, the tennis regulars had already passed the furthest tennis fence at the other side of the school.  Tezuka blazed after them, leaving Ryuzaki laughing as she began walking to her office, Inui still propped on the green bench, taking notes.

            Ryuzaki sighed.  "You're getting 25 laps from Tezuka," she warned the brains of Seigaku.

            "Probability is low.  Twenty-seven percent only."  Inui murmured, face still pasted onto his increasing data.

            Ryuzaki sighed before leaving to her office.

            Soon after, Ann came walking down the pavement towards the scribbling Seigaku player.  Little did she know, the large rock in front of her was ignored until her feet crashed into it, setting the light, brown hair Fudomine mascot a few feet from her previous jog.

            "Itaiiii...." she growled, and rubbed her sore knees.

            Inui stopped scribbling and fixed opaque glasses on the hunched form in front of him.  "Daijobou ka?"

            "Da-Daijobou."  Ann winced as she touched the bruised and reddening spot on her right knee cap.

            "Hmpf," the brains of Seigaku grunted, his moving pencil evidence that he had begun writing on his note-book once again.  "Figures show your balance is only 12% of Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji."

            "So?" Ann frowned at him.

            "Eiji would be able to evade the fall, but since your flexibility level had not exceeded past 14% of the acrobatic player, thus you were not able to recover yourself.  The rock is exactly 13.54 lbs and the circumference is large enough for you leave it unnoticed until you hit.  The probability of Ann-chan evading is only five percent."

            The huddled form looked up at the sitting man.  "Inui-senpai!!  You knew about the rock?!" the light brown hair girl scowled.  "Why hadn't you warned me?!?"

            "Good data."

            The Fudomine freshman let out a frustrated scream before resting on the pavement with her stomach, brown eyes full of fire.

            "You don't need to go get your bruise treated?"

            "I'm fine." Ann snapped.

            "Probability says you are approximately ninety-nine point five six angry at the incident in which I did not warn you about the rock, Ann-chan."

            "I have a bruise and burn now!"

            "But good data!" Inui's eyebrows lifted up slightly as his voice went higher  to carry on a reasonable tone.

            Ann continued to growl.  In the way Inui-senpai was saying it, she thought he valued data more than her well being.  "Inconsiderate jerk," she mumbled under her breath.

            "What's that?"

            Ann remained silent and continued to sulk as the rd year data collector went back to his notebook.

            Inui glanced up from his note book and stared down at Ann with an analyzing frown.  "You look a little pale," he confirmed and fixed his glasses properly on the bridge of his long nose.

            "Maybe a little," Ann replied, hands supporting her chin as her chocolate brown eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

            An evil grin appeared on Inui's face as he smiled down at Ann.  "Perhaps, you would like to try my Super Deluxe Revival Inui Juice to bring back some colour into your face," he offered.  The Seigaku data player held out a cup of green, bubbling liquid.  The viscosity was amazing.

            Ann snapped back from her distant gaze and looked up at her Seigaku senpai.  "Sure, I'll try it." 

            The light brown hair girl reached for the cup and began letting it run down her throat.  Ann was oblivious to the impression the Seigaku tennis club members have on Inui's drinks.

            _Never judge a book by its cover, _Ann reminded herself.

He waited until she finished the cup and handed it back to Inui.  The Seigaku data player watched as he noted the information in his notebook before lifting Ann up and carrying her into the nurse's office to be treated for food poisoning. 

******

            Back in Fudomine Middle School, the school's tennis club was silent.  Every member fixed their gaze at Kamio while he bowed his head down, avoiding their eyes.  

            "Maa...Kamio, leaving the tennis club at a time like this can be really damaging to our performance and dedication in the Kantou tournaments...But if that's your choice," Ibu sighed.  "This could really harm the school's spirit, thus creating a threat to other school teams.  Tachibana has used most of his time training each one of us, and we will be behind even if we have another replacement.  When not reached to the new player's full potential, we may lose the tournament; the player may go into an abyss of shame; his spirit may be broken, making him emotionally weak and not be able to take on the many obstacles life has along the way, thus probably being single because he thinks of himself as a burden, and...."

            "Ibu," Sakurai cooled. 

            Tachibana raised a hand up, and all fell silent.  His dark eyes fixated onto Kamio as the words flowed out of his mouth.  "Do you really want to quit, Kamio?"

            "Yes." Kamio managed to stop the choking in his throat.

            Tachibana merely nodded before beckoning all the regulars to head off for Seigaku as they followed in silence.  Kamio at the back of the unorganized line with his head lowered and admiring the beautiful gray pavement underneath him.  Suddenly, a ring came from Kamio's left pocket.  He reached in and clicked his cell phone on, pressing the object against his ear.

            "Moshi Moshi?" Kamio sighed.

            "Kamio! It's Momo!" the other end screamed.  

            "Bastard.  I don't want to talk to you, and how did you get my phone number?!"

            "Ann!  She's in the nurse's office right now!"

            The auburn hair speed demon felt his heart stop for a few seconds before having it replaced by hard pounds against his chest.  He couldn't breathe, and his brown eyes glazed and shook.  

            "Hmm...Kamio?" Ishida looked back and frowned.  "What's wrong?"

            Before anyone could stop him, Kamio was past the first street and racing past the second, his legs bursting with adrenaline from the fear boiling in his heart.  She was hurt, and he wasn't there to stop it, he thought painfully.  His pace quickened, rushing pass cars and dodging bicycles while he made his way to Seigaku.

            _Hang on Ann, _his heart oozed with pain.  

_            I'm coming Ann.  I'm coming._

******

            The acrobatic player of Seigaku frowned as he watched Momoshiro turn off his phone.  "Naa, Momo-chan!  You made it sound like Ann was dying," he snickered.  "Liar! Liar!"

            "I'm only following Inui-senpai's plans!" the powerhouse shot defensively.  He frowned as his purple gaze fixated on the data collector at the other side of the room.  "What did you do to poor Ann-chan, Inui-senpai?"

            "I was trying to help bring back some colour to her complexion," the brains of Seigaku shrugged.

            Ryoma turned amber eyes at his senpai without moving his head.  "She was green."

            "Hmm...It still changed." Inui frowned.

            "For the worse."

            A small groan stopped the rowdy conversation as Ann stirred in her white bed.  Slowly, her chocolate brown eyes were revealed and she looked at Inui, raising a shaking finger at him.

            "You...You tried to kill me." she accused with a weak voice.

            "Just trust me," Inui sighed.

            "You...You were using your data to kill me."

            "No, I have not collected enough data to murder."

            "He tried to kill me!" Ann tried to win the audience in the room.

            "We've been through this." Inui blew out a breath, and looked at his watch before checking the notebook he carried with one hand.  "Data has calculated that he will arrive in five minutes.  Ann, lie back down and pretend to sleep."

            The light brown hair girl was upright with fury in her eyes.  "You tried to kill me!  I'm not going to--"

            "Saa...Ann, onegai." Fuji delivered his famous smile.  "I promise to keep you safe from any harm.  Inui has something amusing in his mind, and I want to find out what it is, don't you?"

            Ann pouted and fell back onto the bed, closing her eyes.

            "Little does she know, Fuji can be ten times more frightening than Inui," Momo whispered chokingly into Ryoma's ear. 

            "Sit on the couch," Inui directed his finger to the audience in the room.  

            The door blasted open as Kamio scanned the office, his eyes in a wild dance.  "Where is she?" he half-screamed to the Seigaku members sitting comfortably on the couch. 

            "You arrived faster than I expected. This will be good data.  Player increases speed and adrenaline when something happens to his companion, Tachibana An--"     

             "Where is she?!?"

            Eight fingers pointed to the bed where Ann lay.  Kamio stumbled to the side of the bed and fell to his knees, holding onto the patient's hand softly.  "Ann," he choked.  "What happened to Ann?"

            "Food poisoning," Momoshiro couldn't help but send a smirk towards the data collector standing against the wall beside him.

            "You!!" Eyes bloodshot, the speed demon lunged at Momoshiro.  Pulling the powerhouse of Segaiku up, he would've smashed his face in if not for the arms pulling him back.  "You were supposed to protect Ann!  You were supposed to take care of her, you Bastard!"

            "What are you talking about?" Momo raised a confused eyebrow.

            "I loved Ann, and I let her go so you could take better care of her, and look at her now.  You Bastard! I'll kill you!"  

            Before the auburn hair could raise his knee to the powerhouse's crotch, a familiar voice filled the air.  "Matte, Kamio!" Ann screamed.  The group stopped and gazed at the brown hair girl sitting on the bed, aside from Inui, who was jotting data down; his face pasted onto the sheet.

            "Ann-chan!"  The smile fluttered on the speed demon's face.  "You're okay!  I was so worried, I was going to--"

            "Do you really mean it?" The young girl grinned, tears brimming her eyes.  "That you love me?"

            His cheeks burned as he nodded.  "Yes, Ann-chan."

            "I love you too," she grinned, spreading her arms as Kamio picked her up from the bed.  "I have a surprise for you.  Let's go to the change room."

            "Change room?"

            "Just go," she laughed as Kamio carried her down the hallway, followed closely by the Seigaku members behind them.

            "I wonder," Momoshiro frowned as he brushed the wrinkles off of his jersey.  "Why am I always the one who gets physically battered in these situations?" He looked down at the freshman walking beside him.

            "Because you're troublesome when it comes to girls," the boy answered matter-of-factly, pulling his white cap lower.

            "Oii...Maybe I should start liking boys now," he grinned.

            "Who do you have in mind?"

"Ryoma, have I ever told you how attractive you look when you're sweating in the courts?"  

            "Perverted senpai," Ryoma muttered as the powerhouse roared with laughter.

*******

            The surprise party was a big success.  Kamio was accepted back to Fudomine, Momoshiro is now sexually harassing Ryoma, and Kamio and Ann are back together.  The matches were great, and most importantly....

.... "I got good data."

**_The End_******

**Note:** I apologize for any characters that over-react or etc.  My brain has turned to mush.  I was bombarded with over ten new ideas for stories, and that's great and all, except they're all chapter stories.  Blah.  My brain died trying to make myself remember the events in this story.  Alas, I'm most likely taking a small Hiatus after I finish the Sayonara story.      


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